The new peach tree (Prunus persica) (hereinafter referred to as the P.F. 20-007 peach tree) was originated by Paul Friday in the experimental orchard, which is maintained for the purpose of breeding peach trees, at Paul Friday Farms Inc., located in Coloma, Mich. Coloma is located in the southwest section of Michigan.
In an ongoing mass selection breeding program, superior seedlings of unrecorded parentage are maintained as seed sources for the production of seeds which are collected and planted in mass. The seed producing parent trees are maintained solely as proprietary trees for breeding purposes and have not been released from the experimental orchard, where such trees can be evaluated for their adaptability to local and regional growing conditions. Seeds resulting from open pollination of the trees in the experimental orchard are regularly planted in mass to produce new populations of seedlings which are cultured and monitored to maturity. Trees with superior attributes are retained for further observation and testing, and contribute seeds to advancing generations of new populations of seedlings.
The tree of this application, P.F. 20-007, was a selection from one such cultivated seedling population, and was based on the numerous superior genetic attributes of this tree which are described in the botanical descriptions to follow. While not exhaustive, the botanical descriptions to follow are believed to represent a reasonably complete botanical description of the new peach tree which is sufficiently detailed to distinguish the tree from the most closely related trees within the same market class.
The new and distinct variety of peach tree was asexually propagated by budding onto xe2x80x98Baileyxe2x80x99 rootstock as performed in the experimental orchard of Paul Friday Farms Inc., located in Coloma, Mich. The so stated propagation demonstrates that such reproduction of the characteristics of the tree are consistent and are established and transmitted through succeeding propagation.
The new and distinct variety of peach tree is of moderate spreading growth. A distinct characteristic of the P.F. 20-007 peach tree is that it has large, strong right angle branching to support its heavy crops of large fruit. While fruit set is medium, this variety yields very big crops due to large fruit size, providing extraordinary yields and is a regular and productive bearer of large peaches.
The blossoms of the present peach tree bloom in mid-season and are characterized as being non-showy and do not open much past a vertical state only, opening to a diameter of about xc2xd inch diameter during full bloom with its pistil protruding beyond the plane of the opened blossom petals.
The fruit at maturity has crisp flesh of very clear yellow with red around the pit.
The skin is smooth, having little down, and is sixty to eighty percent red or more overlying medium-yellow color. At maturity, the peach is spherical, having an average diameter ranging between 2xc2xd inches to 3 inches.
The fruit has a firm flesh and may be described as resilient to the extent that the flesh is yieldable and restorable to its original state when subjected to impact forces which may cause permanent deformities in peaches of commercial varieties. The firmness of fruit facilitates handling and packaging of the peaches without damaging the same for shipment. This results in less spoilage and also increases the shelf life.
The fruit matures in the mid-part of the peach growing season in southwestern Michigan.